Lentil Sloppy Joes

I'll admit, it made me nervous to try it. I mean...beans instead of meat INSIDE a homemade sloppy joe sauce?

Sounds like a kitchen disaster and an emergency-take-out-pizza kind of night, if you know what I mean....

But, surprisingly, this recipe has always been a big success in my home. My daughter says that she loves it more than sloppy joes with meat.

This is a super easy recipe...it should only take you about 15 minutes to prep.

The slow cooker does the rest.

Plus, Walmart offers affordable Organic options for most of the ingredients

Yields: 4 cups

1 cup dried brown lentils

1.5 cups vegetable broth

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp tomato paste

1 onion, chopped fine

1/2 red or green bell pepper, chopped fine

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp minced garlic

1.5 tsp oregano

1.5 tsp smoked paprika (don't skip this)

2 tsp dried parsley

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

black pepper

cayenne pepper, to taste

Spray slow cooker with nonstick spray. Stir all ingredients together right in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook for

3-4 hrs on HIGH

or

7-8 hrs on LOW

Check for consistency, it might be necessary to take the lid off for the last 30 mins or so....

Giving credit where credit is due!! I got this amazing recipe off of the website Veggie Venture....and I think she got it from Denise from St. Louis Food Blogs.